Wire coiling device



Jan. 24, 1967 G. F. STRONG WIRE COILING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 29, 1965 INVENTOR.

GRANT F. STRONG 4 TORNEY Jall- 1967 G. F. STRONG WIRE COILING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Jan. 29, 1965 FIG. 5

INVENTOR.

GRANT F. STRONG FIG. 2

BY v Z//% A TTORNE Jan. 24, 1967 G. F. STRONG 3,300,158

WIRE COILING DEVICE Filed Jan. 29, 1965 5' Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR. GRANT F.8TRONG I F 10. 5 BY 7 v 5.,

5/ ATTORNEY United States Patent G 3,300,158 WIRE CUILING DEVICE Grant F. Strong, Rockford, Ill., assignor to Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation, Oakland, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 29, 1965, Ser. No. 429,103 7 Claims. (Cl. 24283) This invention relates to an apparatus for producing a dense and relatively tangle-free coil of wire of desired length. More particularly it relates to an improved apparatus for producing a dense and relatively tangle-free coil of wire formed from uniformly stacked together loops wherein novel means are employed to hold down on a mandrel portions of a length of wire disposed on said mandrel as other portions of the wire are continuously fed to the mandrel and Wrapped therearound.

Accordingly, it is the primary purpose of the instant invention to provide an improved apparatus for holding down on a coil forming mandrel loops or portions of a length of wire disposed on said mandrel as other portions or loops of the wire are continuously fed to the mandrel and wrapped therearound.

This and other purposes and advantages of the instant invention will become more apparent from a review of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein;

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a coil forming apparatus for carrying out the teachings of the instant invention with certain parts removed and other parts broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIGURE 1 when taken generally along the line 22 thereof and with certain parts removed to further illustrate the operative relationship of a wire loop forming apparatus used in conjunction With the coil forming apparatus of the instant invention;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view similar to FIGURE 1 and illustrates one operative position of the coil forming apparatus of the instant invention;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along line 5 5 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the apparatus of the instant invention.

With further reference to the drawings and in particular FIGURES 1-3, a preferred form of apparatus that can be used in carrying out the teachings of the instant invention generally comprises a hold down device It) disposed adjacent a coil making apparatus 12. Apparatus 12 is adapted to receive successive loops of wire continuously fed from an overlying wire loop-forming apparatus 14.

The hold down apparatus 10 applies pressure to the various loops of wire on the coil making apparatus 12 thereby positively maintaining all the loops of the continuously fed wire moving up a coil on the coil making apparatus 12 in a uniquely stackedtogether relationship whereby the coil of wire, such as coil 16 in FIGURES 1-3, will be relatively dense and tangle-free and have a substantially uniform configuration from top to bottom.

The hold down apparatus 10 generally comprises an upright tubular stanchion 18 closed at its lower end by cap 20. Stanchion 18 is affixed to a pair of laterally extending arms 22. Arms 22 can be welded at one end to stanchion 18 and at the other end to any appropriate fixed support (not shown). A subf-rame 24 is pivotally and slidably mounted on the stanchion 18 by means of a pair of spaced brackets 26.

Each bracket 26 comprises a right angle member 28, a U-shaped bolt 30 and nuts 32 used to anchor the angle member 28 to the stanchion 18. The flange 38 of each right angle member 23 is provided with an opening for receiving a pivot pin 46 which also extends through a similar opening in the plate member 42 of the subframe 24.

In addition to plate members 42 the subframe 24 includes a tubular member 44 extending therebetween and interconnected at its longitudinal ends to the associated plate members 42 intermediate their lengths. The interconnection of member 44 to members 42 can be accomplished in any expedient manner such as by welding. The frictional interengagement between the opposite faces of the members 28 and 42 is ordinarily sufficient to hold the subframe 24 in any pivotal position about axis 40, for instance, the position illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 3. It should be noted here that the aforedescribed brackets 26 advantageously enable the subframe 24 to be adjusted relative to the fixed member 18 in the usual manner.

Attached to the opposing ends of members 42 by means of fiat plate members St) is a tubular member 48.

The tubular member 48 is rigidly alfixed to both members 42 by means of the intermediate plate members 50 in such a fashion that the axis of the tubular member 48 is preferably parallel to the vertical pivotal axis 40 aforedescribed.

Mounted upon the forward portion of tubular member 48 is a counterweighted carriage 62. Carriage 62 is arranged for slidable movement for substantially the overall length of member 48. To this end a pair of rectangularly shaped members 52 are Welded in parallel and spaced fashion at one of their longitudinal edges 53 to the outer surface of the member 48 in the manner indicated in FIG- URE 4. Although members 52 extend for at least the full length of the member 48 the upper ends of members 52 desirably extend beyond the upper end of the post 48 whereby a cross shaft 54 can be rotatably mounted therebetween. A pulley 56 is afiixed to shaft 54 by an appropriate key means. The outer sidewalls 58 of members 52 are advantageously cut away to define rectangular recesses which desirably extend the full length of the members 52 to provide a track means 60 for the wheel means 66 on the carriage 62.

Carriage 62 includes a plate member 64 provided with four wheel means 66 arrange in pairs on the carriage in such a manner as to advantageously fit in the track means 60 of the members 52. Each wheel means 66 comprises a stub shaft 63 which is suitably affixed at one end to the back face of the plate 64 While the other end of the shaft 68 has a wheel 70 rotatably mounted thereon. The wheels '70 are arranged in the pattern shown in FIGURE 3 such that the carriage 62 is free to slidably move up and down the outside of the tubular member 48.

Attached to plate member 64 is a laterally adjustable shoe element 72, shoe element being adjustably mounted on carriage 62 by suitable means to be described more fully hereinafter. The shoe element preferably comprises a flat plate member 76 of generally triangular shape such that the pair of inclined edges 78 and 80 thereof converge to an apex or nose 82 at the free end of the shoe element 72. This apex end 82 is rounded off to provide a smooth intersection between the edges 78 and 80. The remaining edge of this plate and generally indicated at 83 extends between the divergent ends of the inclined edges 78 and 80 and is laterally offset in an inward direction intermediate its length by a shoulder 84 to define a stepped edge portion 86 that extends between the inner end of the shoulder 84 and the inclined edge 80. The offset defined by the shoulder 84 and edge portion 86 advantageously provides for sufficient clearance between the adjacent pair of wheel means 66 and the edge portion 86 when the shoe element 72 is laterally adjusted to its inner-most position relative to the slots 74 as hereinafter described.

To enable lateral adjustment of the plate member 76 relative to the carriage a pair of projections 08 is affixed in a suitable fashion to the outer surface of the plate member 76 such that each projection 88 is alignable within one of the slots "74 in the carriage 62. The free end of each stud projection 38 is threaded whereby a lock nut 90 can be employed to lock plate '76 in place on the carriage once it has been moved to a preselected position.

The carriage 62 together with the shoe element '72 is controllabiy suspended for slidable movement on the bar members 52 by a suitable counterweight arrangement. To this end, an appropriate weight element 90 is aifixed by means of eyelet 94 to one end of a cable 92 trained about pulley 56 while the other end of the cable is appropriately fastened to the plate member 64 by being passed through the opening 96 thereof in a suitable fashion. The weight 90 can be advantageously disposed within the tubular column 43.

The primary purpose of the aforedescribed counter- Weight arrangement, as will become more apparent hereinafter, is to counter-balance the overall weight of the shoe element 72 and the carriage 62 in such a fashion as to provide a unique pressure applying surface for the loops making up the coil 16.

Coil making apparatus 12 can be any suitable coil making apparatus. It generally includes a base 98 within which an internal drive mechanism is located. This drive mechanism is suitably connected to the usual turntable 100 mounted on the base. Although the turntable 100 can be rotated in either direction, it is preferably rotated in the clockwise direction. Base 08 is also usually adjustably mounted within a Well 102 in the fioor of the building housing the equipment such that the base portion 98 and overall apparatus 12 can be raised and lowered and/ or tilted at various angles by suitable means not shown.

An appropriate coil carrier or cage 104 is removably affixed to the turntable 100 by suitable means not shown. This cage is concentrically located on the turntable such that its rotatable axis generally indicated at 106 coincides with that of the turntable 100. Cage 104 can consist of a series of welded tubular members 100 which are properly shaped for the cage to readily receive loops of wire from the loop forming device 14 and to give the proper shape to the coil made up of such loops.

The wire loop forming apparatus 14 continuously receives wire from a drawing apparatus (not shown), transforms the wire into a series of successively formed loops 110 and then directs the loops onto the horn 112. Loops 110 of wire are formed by a suitable mechanism schematically indicated at 111 in FIG. 1 and disposed within the upper body portion of the loop forming apparatus 14. The looped wire proceeds from the horn element 112 made up of tubular members 114 under tension onto the cage 104. The upper body portion of the apparatus 14 enclosing the loop forming mechanism 111 is provided with a pair of vertically hinged doors 115 which are cut away at their inner edges to form arcuate portions 117. These portions 117 cooperate, when the doors 115 are closed as indicated in FIG. 1, to define a circular recess that allows free passage therethrough of the horn element 112 as well as the loops 110 being fed thereacross. The vertical axis 118 of the loop forming apparatus 14 is laterally offset with respect to the axis 106 of the voil making apparatus. The loops 110 formed on the mechanism 111 are desirably of a greater overall diameter than the diameter of the mandrel portion of the carrier or cage 104.

In making up a coil of wire 16 consisting of a plurality of vertically stacked-together loops of wire on coil making apparatus 12, the axis 106 of the cage 104 is preferably offset relative to the axis 118 by a distance corresponding to approximately one-half the diiference in diameter between the larger overall inner diameter of the formed loops 110 and the outer diameter of the mandrel portion of the carrier 104. As a consequence, as each loop 110 is fed onto the carrier 104 from the wire loop forming apparatus 14 at the same time the turntable mechanism is rotating in a clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow 122 in FIG. 6, the loops of wire will be vertically stackedtogether and in such a fashion that, the peripheral portion of each initially fed loop will be disposed in substantial nesting contact at a point on the circle formed by the outer periphery of the mandrel portion of carrier 104.

Since the loops 110 are of a greater overall diameter than the mandrel portion of the carrier 104 the remaining peripheral portions of the loops follow arcuate paths extending beyond the circle 120 of FIG. 6. Since it is desirable to have each initially fed loop of wire be in nesting contact with the circular line 120 at substantially the same point on the circumference of the circle 120, such as 124 in FIG. 6, the turntable axis 106 can be advantageously inclined to the vertical as aforedescribed. Thus, as each loop 110 is initially fed onto the carrier 104 an arcuate portion of each loop will come into nesting contact with the circle 120 and as close as possible to the same point 124 by virtue of the lateral otfsetness between the axis 106 and 118 as well as the angular inclination of the axis 106 relative to the vertical.

In making up a packaged coil of wire in the manner proposed heretofore in the art, the stacked-together loops of Wire inevitably tend to become entangled with each other. One inefiicient way to avoiding or minimizing this problem was to make up a coil having a very limited number of loops. This, however, is commercially impractical. An efiicient and satisfactory way of avoiding this problem is by use of the hold down apparatus 10 of the instant invention. This hold down apparatus not only effectively prevents wire entanglement but also results in the formation of a dense coil of Wire 16 made up of any given number of loops 110 uniformly arranged in a desired stacked-together pattern.

To accomplish these results, the hold down apparatus 10 is disposed adjacent the cage 104 of the coil making apparatus 12 in such a fashion that the shoe element 72 is preferably located in alignment both with the axis 106 of apparatus 12 and the point 124 on the circle 120 formed by the outer periphery of the rotating cage 104. Thus, as each loop 110 of Wire is initially fed to and positioned on cage 104, it will be forced to assume a proper position about cage 104 by the action of the inclined edge 80 of the counterweighted shoe element 72 as the shoe element comes into pressure contact with successive points of the loop 110 being formed.

The proper position of each initially positioned loop 110 placed on the carrier 104, of course, is one wherein a portion of the loop comes into nesting contact with the mandrel portion of the carrier 104 and at or as close as practical to the point 124. Although all of the stacked-together loops 110 of FIG. 6 may not fully coincide or intersect with point 124 on circle 120, the floating shoe element 72 will still serve to maintain each loop 110 in its initially placed position relative to the other loops 110 making up the coil of wire 16 and for all practical purposes eliminate lateral shifting of the formed loops on the carrier 104 relative to each other and thus remove the conditions which otherwise could result in the formation of a coil made up of tangled and loose loops. In the event that the downward acting pressure of the hold down apparatus 10 is not sufficient for any coil of wire being formed, additional weights can be readily substituted for the weight 90 until the floating shoe element 72 provides the proper downward pressure. If desired, the coil contacting surfaces of the shoe element can be provided with a plastic frictionless surface to avoid scarring or marking of the wire.

Although only one hold down apparatus 10 is shown as being used during the formation of a wire coil, it is to be understood that additional apparatus can be used depending on the results desired as, for example, the hold down apparatus 10 shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3.

An advantageous embodiment of the invention has been shown and described.

It Will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof set forth in the appended claims, wherein what is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for producing a relatively dense and tangle free coil of Wire the combination of a rotatable cage means and a coil hold down device disposed adjacent said cage means, said cage means being adapted to receive loops of wire fed from above to and stacked upon said cage means, said hold down device including a floating shoe means overlying said cage means and adapted to loosely engage and rest upon each loop of wire as it is initially disposed upon said cage means to thereby maintain all of the loops of wire forming the coil in a densely stacked together tangle free condition.

2. In an apparatus for producing a relatively dense and tangle free coil of wire the combination of an endless wire loop-forming apparatus, a rotatable cage means disposed in underlying relation to said loop-forming apparatus and a hold down device disposed adjacent said cage means, said cage means being adapted to receive and position in offset relation to its rotatable axis loops of wire fed to and stacked upon said cage means, said hold down device including a free floating shoe means overlying said cage means and adapted to engage and rest upon each loop of wire as it is initially disposed upon said cage means to thereby maintain all of the loops of wire forming the coil in a densely stacked together tangle free condition on said cage means.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including means for adjusting said shoe means laterally relative to said cage means.

4. In an apparatus for producing a relatively dense and tangle free coil of wire the combination of a rotatable cage means and a hold down device disposed adjacent said cage means, said cage means being adapted to receive and position loops of wire'fed to and stacked upon said cage means in offset relation to the rotatable axis of the cage means, said hold down device including a frame provided with a track means and a counterweighted carriage slidably mounted on the track means, said carriage being provided with a shoe element which overlies said cage means and rests upon each loop of wire as it is initially disposed upon said cage means to thereby maintain all of the loops of wire forming the coil in a densely stacked together tangle free condition.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 4 including means for adjusting said shoe element on said carriage and laterally relative to said cage means.

6. A Wire coil hold down means for use with a wire coil forming means which is adapted to receive and position formed loops of wire fed to and stacked upon said coil forming means in offset relationship to the rotatable axis of the wire coil forming means, said hold down means comprising a frame pivotally mounted adjacent said coil forming means, said frame having vertically disposed track means and a counterweighted carriage slidably disposed on said track means, a lateraly adjustable shoe element mounted on said carriage, said shoe element overlying said coil forming means and adapted to engage and rest upon each loop of wire as it is initially disposed on said coil forming means during rotation of said coil forming means to thereby maintain all of the loops of Wire forming the coil in a densely stacked together tangle free condition.

7. In an apparatus for producing a relatively dense and tangle free coil of wire the combination of a rotatable cage means and a coil hold down device disposed adjacent said cage means, said cage means being adapted to receive loops of Wire fed to and stacked upon said cage means, said hold down device including a floating shoe means overlying said cage means and adapted to engage and rest upon each loop of wire as it is initially disposed upon said cage means to thereby maintain all of the loops of Wire forming the coil in a densely stacked together tangle free condition, and means for adjusting said shoe means laterally relative to said cage means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,620,995 12/1952 Larcinese 242-78 2,775,416 12/1956 Ryaby 242--78 3,013,742 12/1961 Bittman 24283 FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

N. L. MINTZ, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A RELATIVELY DENSE AND TANGLE FREE COIL OF WIRE THE COMBINATION OF A ROTATABLE CAGE MEANS AND A COIL HOLD DOWN DEVICE DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID CAGE MEANS, SAID CAGE MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE LOOPS OF WIRE FED FROM ABOVE TO AND STACKED UPON SAID CAGE MEANS, SAID HOLD DOWN DEVICE INCLUDING A FLOATING SHOE MEANS OVERLYING SAID CAGE MEANS AND ADAPTED TO LOOSELY ENGAGE AND REST UPON EACH LOOP OF WIRE AS IT IS INITIALLY DISPOSED UPON SAID CAGE MEANS TO THEREBY MAIN- 